Public Transport
Many public transport services work on a round-the-clock basis, and most employees in this sector work in cyclic group schedules. While this used to work well in combination with mostly-fixed transport timetables, that is no longer the case. In addition, public transport operators are required to be more efficient and allocate resources more effectively nowadays. Consequently, more flexibility in employee schedules is needed, and fixed group schedules simply do not provide the necessary level of agility. On top of that, today's employees want more control over their working hours. As a result, the need for dynamic schedules that meet ever-changing demand while satisfying employee expectations has grown significantly. Self-rostering makes all of this possible.
Agility
Creating and implementing a new schedule is a time-consuming task. Following that, shift-change requests and schedule adjustments due to changes in demand continue to keep planners very busy. Self-rostering makes all of this easier, as employees themselves play a bigger role in scheduling. Lead times from schedule creation to implementation are therefore significantly reduced, substantially improving agility within transport organisations.
Productivity
At first glance, group schedules seem efficient enough. However, this is very different in practice. For a multitude of reasons, 60% of the original schedule does not go according to plan. Sickness, leave, and personal lives are just some of the reasons for this. Self-rostering changes all that. When employees share the responsibility for scheduling, fewer changes are needed once the schedule is published. This means more available time for value creation and other productive activities.
Job Satisfaction
On paper, group schedules appear to distribute work fairly. However, collective schedules almost never match the needs and preferences of all employees. Why do organisations still use these schedules that constantly have to be adapted? Giving employees more control over their working hours leads to more effective schedules and improved job satisfaction.
Self-rostering thus contributes directly to more sustainable employability.
Self-rostering goes together well with the characteristics of public transport. Few other sectors have so many different shift types (start times, duration etc.). This makes self-rostering an attractive solution, as it offers employees a greater variety in working hours.
Working irregularly has an adverse effect on well-being. Because self-rostering allows employees to choose shifts that suit them best, it is less detrimental to their physical and mental health. Self-rostering thus contributes directly to more sustainable employability. Working irregular hours negatively impacts well-being. Self-rostering, which allows employees to choose shifts that best suit them, is less detrimental to physical and mental health and thus contributes directly to more sustainable employability. In turn, this will make the public transport sector more attractive to younger job-seekers, who are desperately needed to replace an aging workforce.
